Larissa, Michael and Mitch get up and about after Melbourne's gutsy win against the Giants, as they look ahead to the remaining games with optimism.
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The DeeBrief
AFLW: There's still hope in 2024
[MUSIC] >> Kynan just slaps it towards Conway wanted support. Farley little dish up to Matt then. Can she get the taste on the boards again? Matt and all the first of the days. >> Critical moment here with nine and a half to play. Up to the Cape Hall, advantage deezed. >> At the back next man, with their hands up to >> [APPLAUSE] >> [INAUDIBLE] >> Harry can link up with K-Haul. With Brita team going to run away from Pound, has a bounce, takes on Wilson, has a second bounce, runs to 40, and third bounce, runs to 25. Haul keeps going, and stands with a reasonable goal. Follow the goal to the year from Cape Hall. >> Here's a ground level, shrugs Redell on a red-white move, gets good traction on the football. And now the winner with another green final. >> And Melbourne, and Melbourne is for the first time. It's a brand new flag, brand new flag. [MUSIC] >> At the halfway point of the home and away season, Melbourne's sixth game on Thursday night against GWS, so is playing at our home away from home at Icon Park. The game offered both teams the opportunity to take four points for the first time since round one. It was a beautiful clear night for footy and Melbourne shot out of the blocks to put scores on the board early, holding GWS goalless. Until halfway through the third quarter, before they got within ten points in the dying minutes of the game. A brilliant handball from Kate Haught, a Fitzy in forward 50 resulted in a goal that firmed up our claim on the four points just before the final siren. And saw a snapper four goal losing streak. Hello, and welcome to the official unofficial podcast of the AFL Melbourne Demons, the debrief. I'm your host, Larissa, and with me in this episode of the podcast, we have Mitch and Michael joining me. Welcome, guys. >> Thanks, Larissa, thanks, Larissa. >> No worries, nice early start for this week. >> Nice early start for this week, yes, indeed. So we won six goals, 541 to three goals, 725. We had Benno kicking two goals. Larissa, Pasano won, Lampy won, Georgia goal won, Fitzy won. And our best was Kate Haught, Benno, Hanksy, Chaplain and Goldrick. >> Yeah, Kate was fantastic on Thursday night, just decided to pull out a brilliant captain's game when we sort of needed it, to be honest, to get back on track after a pretty tough first five games, playing. >> I mean, she hasn't been bad by any stretch of the imagination. She just went above and beyond her usual excellence. >> Absolutely, and that's sort of what happens when you chuck her in the midfield. However, you could sort of see that when you move her out of the forward line into the midfield, that sort of the attacking avenues weren't there, so. >> Yeah. I mean, I think that's exactly right. She seemed to spend almost all night in the midfield. She racked up possession, she racked up good possession. >> Yep, 27 disposals, which was her career best. >> But how did that we achieve that? Well, we moved Benno to a deep, full forward, and I loved it. >> Yeah, that was one thing that definitely did work. And I just said that we didn't have many avenues going forward, but when you've got the likes of Zankar and Harris out of the team on every growing injury list, which thankfully didn't grow this week, we got through- >> Got through without any injuries. >> Got through without any injuries, but yeah, Benno going full forward, deep in the forward line definitely gave us some sort of difference. Instead of trying to use her speed out the back- >> Yeah, totally. >> There was still at least one of her goals were still that run out the back, and Pissano's goal was in similar but just gave that different option of a bit of a lead-up. >> Totally, I mean, it wasn't actually a perfect game for Benno. There's a couple of fumbles, there's one effectively open goal where she fumbled. We still got the goal because she's got to- >> Pasting after, yep. >> But she clearly makes defenders extremely nervous, and so they have to cover her. She's maybe not taking the overhead marks at like Zank's wood, but she looks very dangerous down there in the same way that like a- I mean, not to overreach, but like you've sent Patrick Dangerfield to a deep forward line, and all of a sudden the defender is extremely nervous, and it makes them make mistakes. And so I think Benno got one, two, two, two. >> Two, two, yep. >> Could have had through a four though, I loved it, I think keep doing it. >> I think it speaks to the areas for improvement for the ceilings. The ceiling's high, and I think it's exciting to see. I agree there was a few fumbles that looked like they were certain goals otherwise, but she did do well to recover that one, and pass off to Alicia Pissano, who scored her goal in the first quarter, which was lovely. >> No, well, I was just going to say, I am going to sound like a broken record by the end of the year, but you see what I was saying right at the start of the year that Pissano's skills are this strong day. She's going to be legit. >> I'm getting, she's got that nuggety little- >> Yeah, like Hanksy. >> Hanksy and Eliza West, I know we've spoken about how we've missed her this season because of the losses that we've had in the midfield, and that just that grunt, and I feel like she's, I can see that developing in her. >> Yeah, no, I fully agree, it's exciting. >> And then another one going forward is starting to get a good look at just not taking those marks that we needed to take is Georgia Galt, who's getting in the right positions, but just getting unlucky whether it's being on a better defender than what she probably should be on, like if Taylor or Zanks was in the team, she probably wouldn't be getting that second best defender or the best defender at times when she probably takes some of those marks, but she's getting in the right positions. >> Totally, totally, and it's getting into those positions that that's what the coaches look for in young K-4, she's 20, super young K-4, but she's 6' 183 centimetres, and getting those positions, she took I think two marks on Thursday night, but again she looks legit, like that was the first, well not the first game, but that came away from that game going, actually she could be a proper cent half forward, she could be full forward, she could plan a lot of positions, it was cool. >> That's exciting to see, I think a few sort of individual highlights for me too during the game was Goldie and her nine intercept marks, that was unreal. >> I didn't realise that until you posted that on WhatsApp group nine intercepts, that's Elise. >> Those are numbers we used to hear next to Jake Leaver's name, which I just love for Goldie, and the other thing for me that I just thought was amazing was Fitzy's ferocious tackle right there, like overall and she finished the game with nine tackles and that goal at the end, which we needed just to kill off that late challenge. >> You could tell when they kicked that last goal, this game really meant something. I mean they always enjoy a win, but you looked at Fitzy, looked at the way Kate reacted, this meant something, they couldn't afford to lose this game mentally for the club, finals may be a distant hope now, but this clearly was important. >> I think some wins towards the end of the season, that'll carry over internet season, because I think if we lost that and if there's further losses, I just think the morale, that's what we need, that morale to move into next season. >> Yeah, totally. When they sing the song in the middle, they obviously put all the first time winners into the middle of a circle. There was about half a dozen, isn't it? Northland is in the middle of the middle of the north side, but it was awesome. The other highlight we were just talking about off their re-watt, I thought played her best game for the club. I've been singing Campbell's praises all year, but re-watt, I thought, was our best ruck on Thursday night, and as I say, the best game she's played for us, that was awesome. >> Yep, loved that for her. >> Yep, dominating ruck contests and marking contests, and she seemed to be in a lot of places as well. >> So the oldest player on our list at 36? >> And from what we're going to establish, maybe the oldest player in the league at the moment, she turns 37 in December. We think, Mitch is going to look that up. I can tell that it's burning heads. >> It's eating him alive. >> It's going to be a bit of an investigation over the next week and a half. >> Meticulously going through every team's list and looking at their birthdays, Mitch. >> Yep. But the other one is, I said at the start of the year, Talia Gillard would be our backline general. >> And she's having a perfectly fine year. She's going quite well. But Gabby Colvin is the general. She was-- >> Bands back really well after a pretty poor yesterday game. >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. >> And the mistake and all that sort of stuff, but everyone had a bad game. I think everyone just noticed her bad game because of what happened at the end of the first quarter. >> And how good she's been-- >> In the other game. >> In the other game. >> Comparatively. >> But I didn't look up how many to set marks she had, but it would have been plenty. That was awesome by her, a great game. >> Yep. And definitely another mid-defender that's been improving and killing it this year is and Mavo is an another good game. >> Yep. I think the thing for me with Mavo is just the consistency like every week. She's in amongst our top handful of best players. >> Well, early on it would have been B up there for probably best in Ferris, but I reckon Mavo's probably up there now. >> Yep. >> Some of the other players who probably would be up there have had one or two better games and such. Not quite up there, but Mavo's away. >> There's probably a couple on the injury list that were doing pretty well until they got injured as well, I reckon. >> That was the downside of the win, right? I was watching it saying, this is how good we can be. Okay, GWS is not the best team in the competition and we can talk in a couple of minutes about these fitness challenge and their depth. >> Yes. >> But we put together some great passages. >> Yes. >> And you just watch it go, how good would we be if we did have all 10 of those players. >> Amazing. >> Into that side. Actually, we are a top four side. And so I sort of come away from going, I don't know if it's good or bad, but when that team can play, which is clearly not our first string side in a lot of positions and play that well. That's awesome, but it's also a little bit sad. >> It's both definitely. It's great for the newer players who are getting an opportunity and it's great for us as the spectators getting to watch them and see them compete and see what they've got to offer. But there is that little bit of, I think there was some footage. I watched the replay today and I can't remember who it was that kicked the goal, but there was some footage where they cut to all the players that are injured sitting and they jumped up and they cheered and they were all so excited and just the row of them all was just a bit of a stab to the heart. >> Like an all Australian team. >> Yeah, yeah. >> Probably literally in quite a few cases. >> Yeah, that was a bit devastating that part. >> Yeah, but anyway, as I alluded to, the fitness is an issue because, like you said, Mitch, playing Kate out of the four line meds was short there, but it's also having this other effect that we have a great midfield. Hanks, Kate, Goldie. These are absolute first straight midfielders, but there's not enough really quality deaths. >> Yeah. >> And so against Fremantle, against UWS, the second half, we've sort of plateaued a bit of a TK. >> Well, when I watched the replay today, I think it was three quarter time, they went into the GWS huddle and the coach actually addressed the players directly and said they are hooked. Go at them. And I thought, wow, that's really interesting. We've been sort of questioning that and he's the GWS coach telling the players. >> But also, good on your decade. Who kicked the last goal of the game? >> Yeah. The only score, the only goal for the quarter. >> Yeah, I bet when I watched the replay back, the players loved that. >> The other thing that we've got to talk about with that is the fact that there's no real in-depth and hard-added practice games for the players that aren't playing in. >> Yes. >> The skills of those players that are coming into the game, I reckon half of them are underdone. They're just not hitting the targets because they're not getting that proper full-on match play. >> Yeah. I mean, the system that happens in the men's season where you have the VFL running alongside the AFL and you have your second string team with players that are getting match fitness each week and you can bring them in when you need to and you know they might not be your first choice if you had every player available but at least they're playing consistently. And you can bring them into that whereas it doesn't obviously work that way. >> And then sometimes the systems that, like with any tracking say, Clayton Oliver having coming back from injury, he can go and play VFL, he can see playing a very similar system where with the AFLW, they're playing in scrimmages where three people from Adelaide, three people from Frio, three people from Collingwood, three people from Essident are all playing this scrimmage. It's not even like a full-on practice game. >> Yes, that did happen in the men's during COVID though, didn't it? >> Yeah, during COVID, it did, but that was >> Yes, that was rare. >> Yeah, unprecedented. >> Unprecedented, that's the word. >> I mean, I think just trying to get the exact finishing date, if you didn't play finals in VFLW, that means you haven't played since mid to late August. Yeah, so that's a long time between drinks if you're coming into debut or whatever. And as you say, they're not playing at the time system, it's challenging. >> And even to a point there, we got Shreid Taylor and Riggas who were coming back, who were tests such available for this week, they're not going to have that match fitness under them to potentially come in this week or Mackerel, Paxi, who the last week had a one-week estimator return. So potentially coming back this week, not going to have that match play, or then again to a point, Liv Purcell, who's just got a new mask, getting ready to play, and hopeful to play against St. Kilda on Sunday, coming in without any match fitness. >> Yeah, although, I mean, in the case of injuries, it's always been challenging. Like, would Liv Purcell actually come back through the VFLW? I don't know, but potentially. >> Potentially, yeah. >> Yeah. >> How do you read Gema Regoney, because I think with Regoney, this is a classic example of, they may consider that she's not ready to play. She's extremely young, so it may feel that she's not the right size yet to play. >> I know that she did half a game in the scrimmage. >> Okay. >> The week before. >> Okay. >> But just potentially just wasn't 100% match fit. They didn't want to risk it. It's like players like that, that's a particular disadvantage, because they may be coming to the system having never even played VFLW or they may have played occasionally. But a lot of them are coming out of school footy or local clubs. And they don't get the chance to play VFLW at all, expected to stand up and play AFL. It's a lot. >> Yeah, it's a jump, isn't it? >> Big time, yeah. >> Yeah, yeah. >> Yeah, totally. >> Just quickly on the injury front as well, I think the decision to end up playing Shelley worked this week. Like, we were talking last week that it might have been a risk that if the shoulder harder popped out again and caused more damage. But obviously the scans, they were all happy with them because in the first five minutes, Shelley tackled and hit the ground hard and got straight back up. >> I actually think she may be a robot. Like, if you look at it, she's so small, she brings down everyone that comes in a very robot-like fashion. She's maybe unstoppable. Like any robot, like a slight ding during the Essendon game, and then she's just back the next week. >> Unbelievable, isn't it really? >> Oh, my God. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, I mean, on the topic of injuries, it was good to see that we got through that game without any new injuries. And we haven't seen yet the update. >> I think that comes out tomorrow. >> Tomorrow, yeah. Tuesday, afternoon. >> Yep. >> But just looking at, as I said, looking at last week's release, so Mackar and Paxi had one week on their resume to return last week. So, potential to come back this week, probably even more chance to come back against St. Kilda. >> Yeah, that's what I was just going to say. >> Liv said two to three, but I had a chat to her quickly before the game, and she said she's hoping to get back for St. Kilda. >> With the mask? >> With the mask, yeah, she'll probably wear the mask for the rest of the year this year just to give that added protection. >> Yep. >> B and law is probably at least two weeks away, and then Edo's still had TBSA last week, so I think she's still waiting on scans and stuff to fully come through for her knee. And then Taylor, Grace, Beazley, Hosen, Amy Mackinac all done for the year. >> Yeah. >> Can I just also call out thanks during the SNN game? I don't know if you saw a match. She said she's standing quite close to you, came around right on the hill with the crowd, and watched the game from there was awesome. I thought I'd love that. >> Yeah, it is nice when the players mingle. >> Yeah, totally. And even so, did you see on the broadcast that Ed Langdon might have been there? >> Sure. >> Or if it wasn't Ed, it was a very good lookalike. Very good-looking lookalike. >> Yeah, no, no. >> Yeah, there was a few familiar faces in the crowd, wasn't there? >> Yeah. And with all this talk about Clary and all that, he was at the SNN game and watching our girls. >> Yeah. >> Well, Patrak has been at at least a couple of the games as well. >> Yeah. So our boys are definitely trying to get around at these they're off-season, so they're all on holidays. >> Yeah, I presume they've been at a few of the games in the run up to the best and fairest, and I think probably a lot of them were heading off on holidays. >> Yeah, correct. >> As of Saturday morning. >> Yeah, look forward to it all before the best and fairest. >> Yeah, wow. >> Well, if it's going to get him fit. >> No comment from me. It's great. I think it's great. The attendances were pretty good this week. >> That's what I was going to say. I was trying to work out. It was a lower than expected crowd, I would have thought for it. >> I thought so. Yeah. >> And I think that gets down to the fact that we played it. We're not, our game's not there this year. We're struggling a little bit, and we play against the interstate team that doesn't help against interstate. >> It doesn't happen, yeah. >> There would be no fans, totally. >> Very low supporter base. I mean, I did see a few people there with GWS colors on, but they were absolutely in the minority. >> Paid actors. There's no, they've got no fans up in Sydney. >> Never mind. Maybe they've got more here in Melbourne than they do in Sydney. >> Correct. But then when you look at this, what was it, Saturday afternoon? Oh yes, it was pretty ordinary weather with lightning delaying, but 1700 at Swinburne, not that that can hold much more. >> No, that was a sellout apparently. Yeah. So when I was there, there was people, I just couldn't quite fathom it. I was like, are these people choosing not to? They're there with their Richmond and Collingwood scarves on, they're standing on the railing on the full path on Pump Road. Are they watching over the fence because they don't want to pay $15? And I asked on my way out, and they said, no, it's a sellout. >> You know it's funny, actually, during the, so the Essenin game, I, as disorganized as I usually am, was getting my ticket, you know, through the Ticketmaster app as I walked towards the gate. And it's a hack, right? Like the, for one thing, you've got to get a security code to download your tickets. I don't send you your tickets. It's like, don't get my dad started on Ticketmaster and Ticketmaster. >> It's so bad, right? So when I got to the gate with the boys, I had managed to work it out, but it took me all of 10 minutes of walking through the phone. There would have been 20 people, no exaggeration, 20 people outside the gate, all trying to work it out. Well, when my sister-in-law and her husband or sister-in-brother-in-law turned up 15 minutes later, they just abandoned it. They just waved them through. They said, don't worry about the tickets, because they were trying to work out the app themselves. So I don't even know if they got counted going into the ground. >> That sounds like they wouldn't, would you say Mitch? >> No. >> Unless they had some other sort of clicking system, they were just like, you know what, just come on through. We trust you sort of thing. >> The same thing happened to me in Geelong, actually, the first week I was having trouble accessing my ticket as well. And the guy just waved me through. >> Yeah. It's got these dynamic barcodes so that you can't share them around. Is scalping a huge problem at the AFLW yet? Do we need the security measures that Ticketmaster are putting in place to prevent this? Surely some sort of second tier system outside of Taylor Swift concerts that can be applied for common sense anyway. >> It's good to see the numbers were all in four figures this week. There was nothing under 1,000, and even at the lowest, our game was the lowest attended. I don't know, the Thursday night, whether that was a factor. >> Thursday night against the interstate, but that's where it is. And both teams not doing well. So you see that at the AFL level as well, when it's a- >> Yep. It's season. >> We had a mid-season, mid-week game, or even poor timing on the weekend or bad weather. If your team's not performing well, you're not going to go. So you get lower crowds. >> Yep. >> But as you said, all the crowds in four figures, even the asset and Sydney game, which wasn't even at asset and time ground, it was at Wittenoval and that's still got 1,400. >> Yeah. >> And it's interesting to see where the biggest crowds are, Adelaide, Sydney, which we'd expect. West Coast had a pretty good crowd as well, against Port Adelaide. So it's not like a Derby, Derby. I wouldn't want to pronounce that. But they're obviously generating a bit of- >> I think that comes down to a fact of Dazeball. >> Dazey, Dazey, the way- >> Dazey factor. >> And the performance of the team, as I was just saying. >> Yeah, once they start to win a, you bank a few matches and you go, "Oh, my team's winning. I might actually go along and see what all the fuss is about." >> And you'd probably pick that as a bit of an upset point, Adelaide getting over the top of West Coast in Perth. >> Yep. >> So the West Coast fans were probably going to heading there thinking, "Oh, this might be a chance to see our girls win a game." >> Yeah, well, they win that. They're up in equal force on Adelaide, so that's a big thing. They didn't win it, but still- >> But then again, that comes down to the picturing thing. And not teams, but not playing around. We don't play West Coast, we don't play Port. At the end of this year, there are four match-ups that have not played each other and we're in Tourville. >> Mm-hmm. Yeah, now go through them again, because- >> So us and Port, Essendon GWS, Hawthorne North and CD and us- >> Right. >> So we're the only team that Sydney has implied. >> Correct. >> Yeah. We have implied Sydney and Port are the two teams we haven't played. >> So Collingwood and Port play their first match this week. Essendon and Bulldog to play their first game this week. And Essendon North Melbourne play next week. So those three get ticked off, but then us versus Port, us versus Sydney, Hawthorne North and Essendon GWS. >> So there's still a few going into the next season, that- >> Correct. >> Which everyone still has implied, everyone- >> 12 games next year. Yeah, so you were only missing out in what, five. >> Mm-hmm. >> You'd surely tick all four of them off if you were. >> And so it'll be interesting. I mean, obviously it'll depend where teams finish on the ladder as to which matches they choose to not pair up next season. But we are currently 13th on the ladder and the four teams that we've lost to are currently first, second, sixth, and seventh. Which suggests to me that we've probably got one of the more challenging- >> Hands down, we've got one of the- >> You're honest. >> I think it came when it came out, we had the heart of course. >> Mm-hmm. When they do the rankings. >> Correct. >> Yep. >> Well, it's funny because your analysis at the start of the year, which I was sort of hanging my head on and I agreed with, was that actually it gets easier as the season goes on at start set. >> Yes. >> But actually it turned out like that. >> It's now not going to be- >> Exactly. >> Because what we got Hawthorne and Richmond are coming up who were third and fourth. >> Yeah. >> We've got Adelaide who won loss and- >> Yeah. >> Well, technically a game behind. >> Yes, they are. >> But when they beat us on Tuesday and I'm not going to go past that. If we get done by less than 10 goals- >> Oh, which, yeah. >> It's very pessimistic. >> Great result for us. But when they beat us, they'll go up to second, third, or- >> Yeah. >> That they'll go top four. We've lost to Essen and who was, yeah, as you said, seventh. And then the only real- Well, we got St. Kilda at the end of the week who once again- >> They dropped back, a big game though. >> A game behind our fine at the start of the year. But a game out of seventh. >> Yep. >> Like they'll jump. If they beat us, they'll jump Essen and provided that they also beat GWS. And then Collingwood Round 10, which is yet to be released by the way, they felt do something because people want to plan that Melbourne Cup long weekend. But they're 17th in a similar position to us with injuries, but they may get injuries when they get their players back. They may jump up the ladder. >> Yeah. >> So there's a chance for the end of the year we will have played virtually all of the top eight teams. No, not quite. But close. >> We've played four that are in the top eight at the moment. >> So- >> And we've got two that are in there. >> Yep. >> Going off the current ladder, we've played one, two. We play three and four and five. >> Yeah. >> We've played six and seven, so we'll play out of the current top seven, all of them. >> Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's what I mean. >> We'll play a chance that it finishes with all top eight, depending on how it results. >> As I said, if, if St. Kilda beat GWS tomorrow night, it'll be, we've played all the top eight, or we're due to play all the top eight. >> That's right. And if Chilong bump up, we could be with the top nine. >> Yeah. >> It depends how it plays out. >> Correct. >> But it is incredibly challenging on top of a dozen injuries. Not to make too many excuses, but it's not the dreadful season that you might look on paper. >> Mm-hmm. And it's hard to get a read really accurately without having each team playing each other across the season, right? >> Correct. And without mid-jump hiring some of the games as well, which would also, which would help. >> Although, I find that when the, look, the umpiring was flipped on its head this way, we got a massively good run. >> Mm-hmm. >> But home ground advantage maybe, don't know, actually putting our bodies over the ball maybe. >> I thought the umpiring was, I thought the umpiring was really good on to the center. I thought it was fair, I didn't think. I mean, I'm always biased. But I actually thought it was fair in both directions. >> Yeah. >> I think we did get a bit of a good run. It was a period of, probably that early period of the game where we, where I think I looked at it and it was like 15 to three or something. >> Well, I was sitting next to Beth or near Beth and I didn't hear her too often comparative to some of the other games I've sat next to her. Hi, Beth. So perhaps it was a little bit more fair and reasonable this week. >> But praises the umpire for the umpires for this week, so hopefully we get some of that going forward the Wednesday night against Adelaide. >> Yep, so you're pretty pessimistic about this Adelaide game from the sounds of it. Well, let me just put this into perspective. We have a percentage of 58. They have a percentage of 160. >> Mm-hmm. Who have they played? They've played Brisbane. >> They've played Brisbane. >> I think they played North. >> No, they can't have played North because North haven't lost. >> Yeah, but that's that's right Adelaide. >> Yeah, let me have a look, let me have a look. >> Well, because they played Brisbane a couple of weeks ago, that was Grand Final weekend, wasn't it? It was a two-point loss. >> Yeah, it was the Grand Final Sunday where the team came back. So they beat Port Adelaide by 14 points in round one. >> Yep. >> They beat Freo by five goals, week two. They beat Hawthorne by four goals in week three. Essed in by five goals in week four. Lost to Brisbane, as we said, on the Sunday of Grand Final week. >> Mm-hmm. >> And then beat St. Kilda by four points on Friday night, just gone. >> Okay, so most of their games they've played against teams that are in the top eight at the moment. >> Well, apart from Port Adelaide, yeah. >> Apart from Port Adelaide, yeah. >> And then they've got us, GWS, in the next, well, in this week coming, Collingwood, and then North, and then July. >> Yep. >> I think we'll win by five goals. >> No, okay, I don't actually think that. But I don't know. I think that I think we won't be embarrassed. >> Embarrassed? >> I don't think we'll be embarrassed. I think we'll come over and holding our heads up. I think the Essen in game, I hope, was an aberration. >> It was a bit of a turning point. >> Yeah, I don't exactly know what happened, but I just think a couple of early injuries always throw you. >> Mm-hmm. >> Yeah, definitely. And it probably depends on if Adelaide rests a few and they do a few, which we won't find out until tomorrow night. But I think it's going to be a very tough trip this week. >> Yeah, so Mitch, how many times have we played Adelaide all up? >> 10. >> 10 now, okay. >> So just looking at this, yeah, so Brisbane and Adelaide have both got, we've played them 10 times. >> Yep. >> This will then put Adelaide at 11. >> 11, and so what's our win loss? >> 5 and 5. >> 5 and 5, okay. >> Pretty good. >> Mm-hmm. >> Pretty good. >> In which two of them were premium, premium final and grand final at Adelaide Oval? >> Yep. >> And Mitch, I assume you're going over for it. >> Yes. >> How many games have you missed? You were doing this recently, but I can't remember. How many games have you missed in forever? >> So I've, so since the pandemic, I've barely missed the game, men's all women's. >> Amazing. >> So, and then going back to that, so 2022, I missed Richmond at, at punt road and the Perth fogging. I claiming both of them to COVID, Richmond game, my girlfriend Claire had COVID and I was in close contact, probably had COVID at some point, but never tested positive. And then that free-o game was the first weekend that WA decided to open the border. >> Oh, that's what you're saying. >> And prices for a one-way flight worth through the roof. >> Yeah, yeah. >> But apart from those two games, I've been to every other game, both seasons 2022, 2023 and 2024. >> That's off. >> And then in that same period, I've only missed four AFL men's game as well. >> Well, I'm impressed. >> Yeah, it's very impressive. Yeah, I mean, I absolutely would go to them all if I could, but there's many reasons that I just cannot. But in my wildest dreams at some stage in my life, Mitch, I intend on going to the football as often as you do. >> Yeah, well, I'm just lucky that sort of all that fear has been through uni and casual work. And I see they're still doing as much study at uni as we used to in my days. It's clearly not a lot of-- >> You can do it remotely now, Michael. >> Yeah, not more remote. So I did get a bit of luxury, but I'm sure as soon as I got a full-time job where the flexibility may not be there, then it'll drop down a little bit. >> So our three most recent matches with Adelaide, we played them once last year. >> Yeah, once last year at KC where they got us by 10 points, sort of mid-year, then the qualifying final in our premiership year that we won at Icon. >> That was a great match. I missed that, unfortunately. >> And then the last time we played in Adelaide is the only time we've beaten them in Adelaide. I was there. >> And so that was the premiership season in the home and away. >> Correct. Round one, literally the game after. So we played them in the grand final earlier in the year. >> That was the grand final rematch. >> Got done by couple goals where they just blew it out of the water early and then defended us well, and then that first game back. The game got moved the later from memory from wherever it was to Glenel, because it wasn't originally at Glenelge. >> Okay. >> But it got moved there, which may have played in our favour a little bit. >> Okay. >> But we got up by three goals in a game that we probably should have won by more kicking. Well, we kicked six goals, eight, four goals, two, so. But that was a very fun night. >> Yeah, it would have been. And I mean, on a way, win is always fun, especially ones in Adelaide. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. So Adelaide have just come off a four-point win against St. Kilda in Adelaide. They're fifth on the ladder. They've had five wins from their six games. Who do we think the players to keep an eye on for Adelaide? >> Maronoff, Hatcher, Randall. >> Randall, list goes on. >> Yeah, it's a long list isn't it? >> Yeah. >> It is ridiculous. >> Yeah. >> Who, that was your trivia rant the other night, right? Maronoff was, is she the number one game's played? >> Oh, she's probably number two at the minute, just the way that the games are played off with Bates. No, not Bates. Allie Anderson from Brizzy. So just the way that the featuring's gone. >> Yep. >> But those two are the number one. >> Mm. >> And while we're on, most games played, congratulations to Lily Smith and who overtook Paxi as our most, most games played. >> That was on Thursday. >> That was on Thursday, right. >> Yeah, right. Because Paxi's injured. >> Yeah, that's because Paxi's injured. And while we're on that topic. >> Yes. >> Goldie's due to play her 50th this week. >> Really? >> Divided that she's getting through training. >> Yep, okay. 50th game for Goldie on Wednesday night. >> I think it'll be close to the quickest 75 games for Kate Hall. And I say that potentially the quickest given that she missed all of season one. >> Yep. >> So when she drew to play the week after, >> No, so it's still killed her. >> No, at Adelaide. >> Yeah, so both Goldie, Goldie 50 and Kate 75 against Adelaide on Wednesday night. >> Okay, yep, so two milestones. >> Correct. >> Excellent. >> So every minute I'm just disappearing down a stat. >> [LAUGH] >> Rabbit Hole. >> How old do you reckon she is? >> She's 26. >> That is unbelievable. >> Yep. >> Yeah. >> I didn't realize, she was saying, yeah, I did not realize that. I would have thought she was 32. It feels like she's been around. >> She probably, I mean, she's probably timed her, the competition started at a time that was probably perfect for her to come into the game. She's played for a team that's competed in finals every year, Mitch. >> Bar a couple, I think. >> Yeah. >> It was a couple of years ago. >> Yeah, she was probably. >> Yeah, 2020, they didn't, in 2018, they missed the final. >> Yep, but she's benefited from a number of finals that would have put her at the head of the pack, I guess, in terms of game numbers. >> Yeah, she wasn't ridiculously young when it started. I think she was drafted at 18. >> Yep. >> Played at 19, and where you going? >> Yep. >> Here you go. So she could be killing us for another seven years. >> Well, and truly. >> Yep. >> All right, that's great. >> [LAUGH] >> And it's a double-headed preview. >> Yes, yes. >> So we are also going to preview this and kill the game as well. So as we mentioned, St. Kilda have just come off a four-point loss to Adelaide away. They're currently tenths on the ladder. They've got three wins from six games. They'll play tomorrow night, so that'll be their seventh game against GWS. >> Which you'd probably expect from the win based on us dating GWS the way we did? >> Yes, whose home game is that? Because St. Kilda, GWS played us away, so they're either playing two or one games in a row. >> I wouldn't be surprised if they come down here again. >> Because we're playing St. Kilda Rat. >> Yeah, it's at Frankston, so. >> Yeah, okay, yep. >> That's another. >> Maybe they've stayed. >> GWS probably stayed over the weekend. >> Yeah, yep. And who are our players to watch from St. Kilda? I mean, I'm full disclosure. I don't know the St. Kilda players as well as I know. >> Well, I've just gone on to the team preview, and there's- >> Jessie Wardlaw's there. >> Apart from Jessie Wardlaw, there isn't really anyone, like Jamie Lambert's got an average, season average of 19 disposals is their highest disposal we had it. >> Okay. >> So I think for St. Kilda, it's just more of an all-around effort. >> Yes, it does sound that way, doesn't it? >> Yeah. >> Which we definitely have to be careful of. >> Yeah, yep. There's no handful of standout superstars, perhaps more, just a good spread across the entire team. >> Yeah. >> Yep. >> Any thoughts about- so we've played St. Kilda three times in total, or more than three niche? >> We've had the wood over them- >> We've had the wood over them. >> They've got us the first game that we played against them at Moraben. >> Okay. >> That was one of our One Goal eight. >> Oosh. >> And fairly inaccurate games where they got us by five points, kicking accurately, and they kicked one goal, three goals one. >> Mm-hm. >> But apart from that, the last three games, still a little bit inaccurate with non goals 12, non goals 10, six goals 10. >> Yep. >> But we've been able to get a wood over them. >> Yep. They've been, you know, like you look at the score line, you've got the team that's won has got 66, 64, 46, and the team that's lost in the 20s. So they're sort of relatively evenly sort of similar margins. Yeah, do we want to do our tips for the two matches? >> Well, you've already heard my tip for Adelaide. >> Yes, we have. >> It's probably the one, it's the rare occasion that I actually tip against this. >> Yeah, yeah. >> I just think Adelaide, the quality they've got, the injuries that we've got, I don't think. >> Mm-hm. And it's their home game. >> Correct. I don't think we'll risk too many players coming back this week. >> Yep. >> Paxi may come back, but I think Maca will probably be Sunday at the earliest. >> Mm-hm. >> She'll probably need a Batman bar mask as well. >> And we'll be cruising on her face looked a lot worse than I imagined it was going to. >> Which, if Paxi does come back in, that'll be definitely a bonus. >> Yep. >> But it'll still be, as I said, and anything less than 10 goals is a win for us. >> Yeah. >> I do, I'm not going to sound overly optimistic. I do genuinely tip against us, like I am tipping against us, but we've had a game with no injuries. >> Mm-hm. >> Had a good win, maybe at one point back. >> There's something from that, some optimism that's got to carry into the game, hopefully. >> Exactly. I'm not so wild the optimistic that we're going to win by 100 points, but I think we will limit the damage. I think we can- >> Good, I'd like to hear that. >> Hold it together. I'm going to say Adelaide by 30 points, but actually a respectable turnout from us. >> Yep. I reckon I'm thinking along the same lines as you, Michael. I don't want it to be a team goal blow out, Mitch. >> No, I don't want it either to be a, make it a long trip home, especially getting up on 6am on the first day morning. It won't be fun after a massive loss, but- >> And especially for the team, if they have to face that and then turn around and play a game on- >> Well, that's probably the bonus about this condensed feature. If we do get done convincingly, which is a possibility with- >> It does just self-off and go again. >> You don't have to think about it for too long. >> And then as I said, if we get some of those players back, like we get Livott back on for Sunday and we get Macka back. Paxton's had a, if Paxton doesn't play Wednesday and he's fresh for Sunday. >> Yes. >> If we get those free back, it'll be a different story on Sunday. >> Yep. Okay. So what about the St. Kilda game? What are we thinking for that? >> As I said, if we get those players back, it'll be a different story. >> Yep. Are we a chance to win? >> Yes. I reckon we win that by eight. If we get the players back, if we're still struggling for depth, I think they're the St Kilda all around. If it may, it may make that a bit closer than it could be. >> Yeah. What about you, Michael? What's your thoughts for the St Kilda match? >> I agree. I think we'll win. But it all depends on who we get back. >> It's hard to call with, it's the second game. Like we're talking about two games that haven't even been played yet. So we're talking about tipping for the second of those two games when we don't even know what the result of the first one is and what the outcome of that is. So it is. >> Which the outcome, as we just mentioned, the outcome of yes, it is a small turnaround and they can dust off and not have to worry about it. But the outcome could still be back and more and then and could affect it as well. So. >> I just want to, I don't know if this is going to force us to rerecord large sections of the podcast, but are we definitely playing St Kilda? >> Yes. Yes, we are. >> Okay. Well, the app says something different. >> Well, the app probably has us playing Richmond on following set that night. Is that right? >> Yeah. >> Yeah, it's we got two games. >> You've got to look at the week seven. We've got two games, week seven. >> Oh, it actually runs. >> Yes. Yeah. So we can't really talk about it as round six. We've got to talk about it as week six because they're blocking what 10, 12 games. >> Well, they had 12 games in last week. >> Yeah, I get that. But I thought they were still organizing it by rounds, but they're all going to have a week in the app. >> Weeks in the app. Yeah. Yeah. So we got. >> I thought it was going to be a Twilight Zone. I'd seen that we were playing St Kilda, and then I'm looking at it. Okay, now I've got you. So weird. >> I can confirm what I'm looking at here week seven, Sunday the 13th of October, 3.05 pm at Moraben. >> So if you're using the app, like me, don't get confused. >> Yeah. We've got two week seven games, which is what we're previewing. >> Yep. >> Okay. That makes sense. >> Yeah. >> But I think we will win. I think at this point, as you say, there's a lot of unknowns. But if we continue to get players back, yeah. I think we'll win by, I think eight points is a good prediction. I'll say 10 points. >> Right. I'm going to say two goals, two goal win for the St Kilda game. >> All right. >> There we have it. >> So Wednesday night, sit on your couches, watch TV. Week seven is pride round. So we're celebrating that as well. >> Yep. >> Get on your TVs, watch it on Fox footy, maybe Channel seven has it. That one's 745, Melbourne time. >> Yeah, 745, but I wasn't sure whether that was the South Australian time, because with the half an hour difference. >> I think it is. >> That would make it 715, which some of the games have been, isn't it? >> 745, Australian Eastern daylight time. >> Okay. >> So for me, it'll be 715. >> Yep. >> In Adelaide. >> Get a proper time zone. >> Well, at least they do daylight savings on like Queensland, or Perth, or Northern Territory. >> Yeah. >> Those SA Demons listening to the pod, get down to Norwood Oval. We'll need a hand. >> And there's an open training session as well. >> Yeah, open training session tomorrow on Tuesday. >> Tuesday the 8th at 2.30 till 3.40. Not great for people that might want to take their kids along, but if you're. >> Well, it is school holidays for them. >> Ah, yes. Okay, of course. >> Yep. >> Which is why the condensed picture's there. >> Yep. >> As I said, would have made sense for them to come over here. >> Mm-hmm. >> And who, as I said. >> That's on a West Adelaide football club in Richmond. >> Always makes me surprised to hear that Adelaide has schools. I always find that a weird, like a little trivia anomaly. >> Once again. >> They educate their children over. >> Wow, certainly at primary school level. >> Once again, don't start dad on Adelaide. >> [LAUGH] >> But yeah, Adelaide, Norwood Oval. Wednesday, 9th of October, 7th 15, Adelaide time, or 745 if you're sitting at home on couch. >> Yep. >> Watching it on TV. And then we're backing it up Sunday 13th, 305 at R.S.E.A. Park, which is in Moraben. >> Yep. >> They have great facilities there. Great to watch footy there. Been there a couple of times, both for men and women with a couple of men's practice match there. 305, get down. Once I said, crowds need to get it up. >> Yep. >> Go D's. >> Go D's.